Fifteen area women pooled their funds to increase the impact of their giving, and awarded Hand-in-Hand - an organization that assists local families with special needs - a $1,000 grant. They call themselves the Women of Wisdom Giving Circle and focus on helping women and children in the Quad Cities area. The Women of Wisdom were established in June 2009 and will make grants approximately every four months to a charitable organization or program of their choice. Hand-in-Hand is the recipient of their first award. For more information about giving circles, visit CFGRB.org.

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse will host a culinary class on December 9 at 6:30 p.m. The chef will teach the class to make Johnny's Signature Betta Bruschetta. Admission to the cooking class is $10 and includes light appetizers and a glass of wine or other beverage. For more information or to sign up, call (309)736-0100.

Davenport Junior Theatre has announced the Stage to Page program, in partnership with the Scott County Regional Authority and Borders Bookstore. Every child who attends the upcoming production of Scrooge! (running December 12 through 20) will receive an age-appropriate version of A Christmas Carol to take home with them. Tickets are sold at the door for $5 per person for ages three and up. Junior Theatre performances are held in the Nighswander Theatre on the Annie Wittenmyer campus (2822 Eastern Avenue in Davenport). For more information, visit DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.

Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities has openings in the areas of committees; construction; lunch providers and site hosts; and office assistance. To learn more, contact Terry Timmerman at (563)359-9066 or visit HabitatQC.org/volunteer.htm.

Thunder Bay is having a breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 12, at 10 a.m. Santa will sing songs, read stories, and visit with each participant. Bring your camera and take a picture with Santa. The event costs $7.99 for people older than 10, $5.99 for kids five to 10, and $2.99 for kids four and under. Santa will also make appearances during Sunday brunch on December 13 and 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, call (563)386-2722 or visit ThunderBayGrille.com. The restaurant is located at 6511 North Brady Street in Davenport.

Lori Roderick's Dream of Consciousness, an installation in four parts, is on display at the Rock Island Library's second-floor art gallery (at 401 19th Street) through December 29. Roderick serves as a development officer at Augustana College, and is the former vice president of programs at Quad City Arts. She was elected to the Quad City Arts board of directors in October.

This past summer, the City of Bettendorf hired an intern to assist with drafting recommendations for standards relating to sidewalks, separated trails, and filling in sidewalk gaps. A proposal to increase funding for the maintenance of existing sidewalks and the development of new sidewalks, separated trails, and bike lanes was included in the Community Improvement Plan for future years. Those funds would average more than $350,000 annually and are included in the city's proposed 10-year budget plan. As a part of the plan, a recommendation was made to consider converting 18th Street from four lanes to three lanes, with a center turn lane and bike lanes on both sides. Details of the presentation and recommendations are on the city Web site, Bettendorf.org.

Construction of Davenport's West Side Diversion Tunnel project is underway and will be completed in three phases. Currently, waste water from northwest Davenport flows through the Jersey Ridge Tunnel to the Riverfront Interceptor near U.S. Highway 61. Flows often exceed capacity of the tunnel, resulting in sewer backups and overflows. The first in a series of informational neighborhood meetings was held on October 22 and can be viewed on the city's Web site. Additional meetings will be held as construction progresses to ensure businesses and residents are informed throughout all three phases. To learn more, visit http://www.CityOfDavenportIowa.com/engineering or call (563)326-7923.

The Bettendorf library's Outreach Program is available for Bettendorf residents who cannot visit the library in person. Mark Fitkin, volunteer and outreach coordinator, makes visits to home-bound patrons, providing library materials to individuals and retirement facilities within Bettendorf city limits. Recipients of outreach services can be permanently or temporarily home-bound, and can be any age. You may contact Mark at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or (563)344-4187.